Parliament today approved the Forest Intervention Plan presented by the government, which includes measures until 2050, and a proposal by the PS to review the rural property regime, which was referred down to committee for debate.
The Forest 2050 Plan was approved with votes against by PCP Communists (PCP) and PAN (People-Animals-Nature) and abstentions by CHEGA, LIVRE and JPP.
Based on four strategic pillars – enhancement, resilience, ownership and governance – “Forest 2050, Greener Future” (Forest 2050) provides for 61 short-term measures in 2025 and 88 medium-term initiatives between 2028 and 2050.
In the votes that followed a debate on Thursday, in which proposals on rural fires were discussed, parliament also unanimously approved a bill from the Socialist Party aimed at revising the rural property regime.
In their proposal, the Socialists argue that it is “necessary to strengthen the legal and fiscal mechanisms that encourage the resizing and concentration of rural property,” which will now be debated in the Economy, Public Works and Housing Committee.
Two draft resolutions by PAN were also approved, recommending the use of Artificial Intelligence for the prevention and detection of forest fires, and the shortening of the deadline for updating the National Forest Inventory.
Both proposals were approved with abstentions from PCP communists, and will also be debated in the Economy, Public Works and Housing Committee.
Three draft resolutions from LIVRE were also approved, recommending the professionalisation and training of officers in the Integrated Rural Fire Management System, with the PS voting against and Social Democrats (PSD) and Christian Democrats (CDS) abstaining; the hiring of nature wardens by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, with abstentions from PSD, Liberals (IL) and CDS, and the enhancement of the profession and hiring of forest firefighters, with abstentions from the PS, IL and CDS.
The three draft resolutions will also be sent to the Economy, Public Works and Housing Committee.
Parties on the left and right rejected PAN’s bill aimed at creating a National Eucalyptus Removal Plan.
The right, with the exception of CHEGA, rejected LIVRE’s bill recognising the profession of firefighter as a high-stress occupation.
CHEGA’s draft resolution recommending that the government promote the reforestation of Portugal in burned areas by creating a National Reforestation Programme with Native Species was also rejected.
Source: Lusa
